Thailand is ready to stage its first MotoGP race in Buri Ram next week, organisers said on Monday.

The inaugural PTT Thailand Grand Prix will be held at Chang International Circuit in the northeastern province from Oct 5-7.

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat told a press conference that more than 100,000 tourists are expected to visit the country and the province during the event.

"We are ready to take care of participants, fans and Thai and foreign tourists who will visit Buri Ram,'' he said.

"The event is expected to generate billions of baht."

He claimed the event will be watched on TV by some 800 million people worldwide.

"This is an important step for Thailand to show it can host a world-class sporting event," Weerasak said.

Thailand has secured the rights to stage the MotoGP for three years.

Ruj Saeng-udom, deputy governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, said the SAT, as the main organiser, will do its best to make the event a success.

"This is an opportunity for our country to earn global recognition. The Thailand Grand Prix will put the country on the global motorsport map. It will also help promote Thailand's tourism and economy and make the country a world-class sports destination," he said.

Buri Ram governor Anusorn Kaewkangwan said: "We have prepared everything for the convenience of a large number of visitors who will flock the province."

Tanaisiri Chanvitayarom, managing director of Buri Ram International Circuit Co which owns Chang International Circuit, said the company has been working hard with parties concerned to ensure that every thing is in top condition during the race week.

During the event, there will also be several activities including a Muay Thai Expo featuring legendary fighters Samart Payak-aroon and Somluck Kamsing, and concerts by Waan Thanakrit, Atom Chanakant, Getsunova and BNK48.

Immigration police are gearing up for Thailand's first MotoGP event to be held in Buri Ram next weekend where large crowds of foreign and local spectators are expected to gather.

Between 80,000 and 100,000 spectators are projected to attend the PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018 to be held at Chang International Circuit from Oct 5-7.

Pol Maj Gen Kittikorn Boonsom, commander of Immigration Division 4, said immigration officers were setting up teams to examine passports at Buri Ram airport after the Interior Ministry announced the local airport would be an immigration checkpoint.

Foreign visitors are allowed to enter the country via the airport and some nationalities are also allowed to seek visas upon arrival, he said.

The Immigration Bureau's Personal Identification Blacklist Immigration Control System (Pibics) will be up and running at the airport to try and identify criminal suspects who may try to sneak in.

There will be four immigration stations each for handling arriving and departing passengers at the airport, Pol Maj Gen Kittikorn said.

Starting on Monday, an immigration checkpoint will be opened at the Chang International Circuit to provide necessary services to foreign visitors who want to extend their stay, report in or update their addresses.

Five smart patrol vehicles quipped with Pibics will be deployed at key strategic locations including the airport and the racing circuit, he added.

Immigration officers will be drawn from nearby provinces such as Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket and Roi Et to support the operations.

He said local police in Buri Ram and their peers from various agencies including the Tourist Police Bureau will be coordinating closely to beef up security for the visitors.

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said early this week that more than 100,000 tourists are expected to visit the country and the province during the event.

According to Mr Weerasak, the sporting event, which will see 90 riders race in three categories, is likely to spur local tourism and generate billions of baht and will be watched on TV by some 800 million people worldwide.

"Nobody can be totally sure what to expect, which opens up the possibility of a surprise winner or an upset."

Marquez said he felt confident but he admitted that the weather may be a factor.

"The test has been good, we were very, very fast but now they told me that it's rainy season and everything can happen," he said.

The burden of arranging a world-class event requires levels of manpower and organisation previously unseen in Buri Ram.

Nearly 1,700 police officers will be on duty, hotels with 60 rooms or more are fully booked, and only small resorts outside of the provincial city or on Airbnb are available.

Campsites have also sprung up on online travel sites like Booking.com.

Securing the race is another feather in the cap for Newin Chidchob, an ex-politician-turned-sports mogul dubbed 'the Baron of Buri Ram' whose rural power base has made him a key political broker.

Mr Newin is eyeing a complete transformation of his hometown from an up-country pit stop to a hub which will draw three million people a year.

Thousands of jobs, hotel rooms and hundreds of restaurants have already followed in the wake of the stadium's construction.

For the money spent on the MotoGP, the payback is expected to run into billions of baht.

Big-name sponsors include duty-free giant King Power -- which also owns Leicester City Football Club -- Thai beer company Chang, energy and banking firms as well as Southeast Asia's ride-hailing app Grab.

After MotoGP, there is much talk that Newin may try to entice the much bigger and higher-profile Formula One, fulfilling a long-held aspiration in Thai tourism and sports.

The mix of small towns and F1 has not always been sucessful, however. The Korean Grand Prix was dropped from the Formula One calendar only three years after it was unveiled in the rural county of Yeongam in 2010.

For now it is a guessing game as to whether Thais will show up in numbers. In a country where the daily minimum wage is about $10, tickets start at $60 for a seat in the stands and creep into the hundreds for VIP areas.

However, the early signs are good as tickets from the official MotoGP site are sold out.

"We have to evaluate after this first-year event," said Wandee Tiansawatkit, an advisor to the Buri Ram Hotel Club, adding that sentiment was "upbeat" about the race.

With millions of dollars at stake, the Thai government says it is prepared for the challenges.

"This is an important opportunity for our country to earn global recognition," Ruj Saeng-udom, the deputy governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, told reporters.

Good luck with this. The problem with Buri Ram is there are no decent roads to get there. There is much competition from around the word to be considered as an F1 venue. Singapore, Monaco, Barcelona, Buri Ram? No, I don’t think so, it is too much of a backwater.

The cream of the motorcycling world are at the Chang International Circuit this weekend to test not only their speed but also their endurance under the scorching Isaan heat for the Kingdom’s first ever MotoGP.

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez of Honda, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, who is chasing the Spaniard in the Championship race with 174 against 246 points, and seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi of Yamaha have their eyes firmly fixed on wining the inaugural MotoGP Thailand, the 15th stop on the MotoGP calendar year.

Even as the first practice sessions got underway the riders soon realised that the country’s signature unkind heat would significantly affect their results over the next couple of days.

“The heat is high, maybe even more than Malaysia and it’s very hard for everyone. The bike is very hot, that will affect the race,” bemoaned Dovizioso who has won at three circuits this season: Qatar, Czech Republic and San Marino.

In Friday practice, however, he produced the best time of 1:31.090 minutes in the combined timesheets, 0.031 faster than Maverick Vinales of Movistar Yamaha, while Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda Castrol completed the top three split just 0.043 behind. Marquez was fourth with 1.31.188 minute.

“The weather is difficult because it’s very hot, and it can rain every day. So first we hope for a dry race,” said Rossi, who wasn’t a fan of the track here as he described it “not fantastic for M1.”

Jorge Lorenzo of Ducati suffered a huge crash during practice on Friday but was later declared fit to compete.

Four Thais will also be testing their mettle – not in the MotoGP, but in Moto2.

Nakarin, 22, from Khon Kaen, won two races at the track in 2015, the Asia Road Racing and Asia Talent Cup and said: “This will be a very important race for me. It will be one of the races that I feel most confident in as I have been training hard at home for weeks.

“I have spent a lot of time getting used to the circuit and the weather condition.”

Apiwath is thrilled to be awarded a wildcard into his first ever Moto3 but is determined to summon everything he has to please the home fans.

“ I’m well prepared and will give my all to achieve the best result. I will learn the engine, the circuit condition and the rivals to get best results this weekend ,” said the 2017 Asia Road Racing winner in 600cc.

Meanwhile, Tanaisiri Chanvitayarom, managing director of the Chang International Circuit, warned participants attending the event of possible traffic congestion and inconveniences due to the huge anticipated turnout.

“Despite many sectors are working hard in regards to preparation, people should be prepared for traffic problems and other difficulties such as long queues for services as hundred thousands of people are heading to Buriram,” Tanaisiri said.

The circuit MD also suggested fans study the diagram of the event well and be equipped with necessary items including powerbank, umbrella, personal medicine as well as dress accordingly to the high humid condition.

Tanaisiri also asked Thais to welcome foreign visitors with warm hospitality and bikers to pay attention on road safety during the event.

“This is a great experience that all Thais we should share together. Accidents may lead to negative image of our hospitality. Precautions and patience are what we have to be concerned,” he added.

Marc Marquez rode to his 50thMotoGP pole Saturday at Burriam Circuit during drills for the Grand Prix of Thailand.

The Repsol Honda rider claimed his first pole at the circuit after participating in Q1 following a turn-four crash during the final practice session.

“It’s fantastic to be on pole, and it seems it’s a record to have done so going through Q1 but I honestly would have preferred to pass directly to Q2,” the Spaniard explained. “This morning we were very unlucky because when we fitted the new rear tire at the end of FP3, we had a little issue and had to quickly swap to the other bike. It wasn’t the same and I lost the front while I was improving my lap time.

Anyway, after that we managed everything in a good way, and in QP1 I was able to ride very well. We’re very happy because a front-row start was our target. Now we have a very important race tomorrow, and a very long one. I’m happy with my race pace but we must wait and see what the conditions are like and where we and our opponents are.”

Valentino Rossi qualified second for Yamaha, while Andrea Dovizioso completes the front row on a Ducati.